Near the Triphalghat area, which sits on the border between Himachal Pradesh's Mandi and Bilaspur districts, villagers caught hold of three youths on the charge of consuming chitta. After the incident, an uproar gripped the area for a long while. The angry crowd also beat all three youths with sticks. A video linked to the episode is spreading rapidly on social media as well.
When the villagers began questioning the detained youths, several revelations came to light. In the viral video, one youth is heard admitting that he had sold a total of 16 sachets at the rate of Rs 500 each. Among those he claims to have sold the sachets to, the names of some young men from Mandi district are also being mentioned. Following the incident, there is deep anger among locals over the steadily growing drug trade in the area.
Local residents are demanding a thorough investigation into the entire matter and strict action against those involved in the drug business. On the other hand, Sarkaghat DSP Sanjeev Kumar Gautam said that the matter is not currently within his knowledge. He suggested that the incident may possibly have taken place in the Ghumarwin area. The police are gathering information about the episode at their level.
Three videos related to the incident have surfaced. In them, villagers are seen surrounding a youth. They then drag him to the ground by his legs and begin thrashing him. Abuses were hurled during this, and at one point the youth's pants were pulled off as belts were repeatedly struck on his legs and body. While beating him, the villagers kept asking the youth where the stuff was and to tell them quickly. The sachets of chitta were later recovered from him. In another video, all three youths are visible holding sachets of chitta in their hands, while the villagers question them.
